Pallet collar

ABSTRACT

A pallet collar comprises four walls which are hingedly interconnected by means of hinges, so that the pallet collar may be collapsed or folded up into a substantially flat condition. To increase the utility and versatility of the pallet collar at least one pair of opposite walls are provided with supporting ribs on their inside, which extend substantially parallel to the bottom edge of the respective wall, somewhat above said bottom edge and are intended to carry a removable bottom in cooperation with the supporting rib of the opposite wall. Thanks to these supporting ribs it is possible to convert the pallet collar into a form-stable, open case by placing the bottom upon the ribs. 
     Each supporting rib may be divided into a plurality of individual portions which are separated from each other by interspaces in such a manner that the supporting rib portions of two adjacent walls become located just opposite interspaces between adjacent supporting rib portions of the other walls, when the pallet collar is folded up or collapsed into a substantially flat condition.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 74,100 filed Sept. 10,1979, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a pallet collar of the type comprising twopairs of walls which are interconnected by means of hinges. Palletcollars of the same general kind form the subject matter of the SwedishDesign Registrations 18 889 and 18 928.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal object of the invention is to provide a pallet collar ofthis type which easily may be supplemented with a removable bottom andthereby be converted to a form-stable, open case.

This object is attained thanks to the fact that each one of at least onepair of mutually opposite walls on its inside is provided with asupporting rib which extends substantially parallel to the bottom edgeof the respective wall, somewhat above said bottom edge, for carrying aremovable bottom in cooperation with the supporting rib of the oppositewall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the pallet collar according to theinvention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionand the annexed drawings which diagrammatically and as non-limitingexamples illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is partially sectional plan view of a pallet collar according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of one corner of the pallet collar; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view substantially on line III--III in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The pallet collar according to the invention comprises four walls, viz.two longitudinal walls 1 and two end walls 2. Adjacent longitudinalwalls and end walls, respectively, are hingedly interconnected by meansof hinges 3, so that the pallet collar may be collapsed or folded upinto a substantially flat condition in a manner known per se. To permitthe insides of the walls 1, 2, which face each other after thefolding-up operation, to get close together, the longitudinal walls 1are provided with a pair of vertical recesses or grooves 4, which have asubstantially semi-circular cross section and are so located that one ofthe hinges penetrates into one recess 4 of the opposite longitudinalwall 1 at the folding-up of the pallet collar.

In the exemplificatory embodiment illustrated in the drawings the walls1, 2 are comprised of substantially or at least partly hollow shells andare preferably manufactured by technical blow-molding of a suitablethermosetting resin or another suitable plastic. As is most clearlyshown in FIG. 3 each wall comprises narrower or pressed-in areas ordomains 5 within which the inner shell wall 6 and the outer shell wall 7are pressed together and united with each other as shown at 8. From FIG.3 it is also apparent, that the pressed-in areas are deeper on theoutside of the wall than on its inside, but this is not obligatory. Thepressed-in or compressed areas 5 are separated or isolated from eachother by hollow portions or spaces 9 which fill up the remainder of therespective wall and communicate with each other formanufactural-technical reasons.

At their vertical end edges the walls 1, 2 are terminated by tubularhinge members. In the exemplificatory embodiment each longitudinal wall1 has two tubular hinge members 11, and each end wall has one tubularhinge member 12. In lieu hereof each wall 1, 2 may within the scope ofthe invention have two hinge members 11 at its one (e.g. right-hand) endand one hinge member 12 at its other (e.g. left-hand) end. The hingemembers, which become closed at their ends at the form-blowing operationand thus are hollow, are united with their respective wall partly by anequally hollow reinforcing rib 13, which connects the hollow hingemember 11, 12 with the inner space of the respective wall 1, 2, partlyby compressed shell wall portions 14 which extend along thosegeneratrixes of the tubular hinge members 11, 12 which face therespective wall 1, 2, as is most clearly apparent from FIG. 2 and theupper, right-hand corner of FIG. 1 which is comprised of a horizontalsection.

To complete the hinged connections between the walls 1 and 2 one firstremoves the closed ends of the hinge members 11, 12, which aresubsequently adjusted pairwise into a mutually coaxial position, afterwhich a hinge bolt or spindle 15, which extends along the entire heightof the walls 1, 2, is introduced into the hinge members 11, 12. Thespindle 15 which may be tubular, as shown in FIG. 1, or solid ispreferably so sturdily dimensioned that, at the stacking of palletcollars upon each other, it can carry at least the major portion of theweight of all pallet collars which are supported by the lowermost palletcollar. When the hinge spindles are tubes as shown at least theirlowermost ends are somewhat flared to hereby increase the supportsurface and the stability at stacking. The hinges are preferably sodesigned that one does not risk to pinch one's fingers between the endsof the walls 1,2 at the following up of the pallet collar.

The bottom edge of the walls 1, 2 forms a support surface 17 which hassubstantially the same external measures as a pallet deck of thestandard size. To center the pallet collar on a pallet deck the walls 1,2 have guide flanges 16 which extend along the outer edges of thesupport surfaces 17 and project downwards below the same and grip theedges of the pallet deck when the pallet collar is placed thereupon. Inthe same way the top edge of the walls 1, 2 constitutes a supportsurface 18 which corresponds to the support surface 17 and issubstantially congruent therewith and upon which another, more elevatedpallet is intended to rest with its support surface 17 at the stackingof pallet collars upon each other.

Two or more pallet collars may be united into a pallet collar of acorrespondingly greater height by introducing studs or rods, preferablyof the same height as the composite pallet collar, into the tubularhinge spindles 15. The individual collars of the composite pallet collarthus formed may be held together e.g. by the friction engagement betweenthe rods and the tubular spindles 15.

To prevent collapsed pallet collars stacked upon each other from mutualsliding at least the longitudinal walls 1, and possibly also the endwalls 2, may be provided with intended or serrated areas, whichpreferably extend like stripes over the entire height dimension of thepallet collar. Such indentations or serrations are indicated only on onelong wall 1 in FIG. 1 at 18. The serrated areas are suitably checkeredor gaufred in such a way that at straight stacking of collapsed palletcollars upon each other the raised portions or crests of a serrated areaof one pallet collar will become located just opposite, and engage into,the recesses of a serrated area of an adjacent pallet collar.

According to the invention at least the longitudinal walls 1 andpreferably also the end walls 2 are internally provided with supportingribs which are located somewhat above the bottom edge of the respectivecollar wall. These supporting ribs which are generally designated with21 are intended to carry a removable bottom (not shown) by means ofwhich the pallet collar may be converted to a form-stable open case. Thesupporting ribs may be continous in their entire length, as shown inrespect of the end walls 2, or alternatively be divided into individualportions, isolated from each other by interspaces 20, as is shown inrespect of the longitudinal walls 1. As is apparent from FIG. 3 thesupport ribs and the support rib portions 21 are hollow substantially intheir entire length and communicate with the hollow spaces 9 of theappurtenant wall.

These rib portions 21 and interspaces 20 are preferably so arranged andlocated that at the folding-up or collapsing of the pallet collar into asubstantially flat condition the rib portions of one wall or twoadjacent walls will become located just opposite to, and engage into,the interspaces 20 between the supporting rib portions 21 of theopposite wall or walls. Within these interspaces the walls 1, 2 may ontheir inside be provided with grooves or recesses for receiving thesupporting rib portions 21 of the opposite walls, whereby the palletcollar may be made still flatter at collapsing, since the walls 1, 2will then become substantially parallel to each other.

The embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings is, ofcourse, to be regarded merely as a nonlimiting example and may as to itsdetails be modified in several ways within the scope of the followingclaims. Thus, plane or alternatively two or three-dimensionally curved,alternatingly hollow and solid plate elements, which in principlecorrespond to the walls 1, 2, may be utilized for other purposes thanpallet collars.

What we claim is:
 1. A pallet collar comprising two pairs ofsubstantially rigid plastic walls each having opposite ends and hingesat said opposite ends, said walls being interconnected by means of saidhinges only at said respective ends, each wall having a bottom edgeforming a support surface for engagement with the upper surface of theperipheral edge of a pallet to thereby support the pallet collar uponthe pallet, and an external flange projecting downwards from the outerperipheral edge of said bottom edge for engaging the outer circumferenceof the peripheral edge of the pallet, each one of at least one pair ofmutually opposite walls being provided on its inside with an integralinternal supporting rib which extends substantially parallel to saidbottom edge of the respective wall along at least a major portion ofsaid wall above said support surface for carrying a removable bottom incooperation with the supporting rib of the opposite wall, each of saidinternal supporting ribs extending in the same plane as the supportingrib of the other wall in the folded out working position of the palletcollar, each supporting rib being divided into a plurality of individualportions which are separated from each other by interspaces, eachsupporting rib of a pair of adjacent walls being located just oppositean interspace between two supporting rib portions of the remaining pairof adjacent collar walls when the pallet collar is folded into acollapsed, substantially flat condition.